MARYPORT'S second art trail was opened this week.

Last week saw the opening of the Percy Kelly trail, based on the printed trail by Cockermouth gallery owner and art collector Chris Wadsworth.

This week the trail marked the places LS Lowry visited and painted.

A painting of Christ Church in Maryport sold for a staggering £81,000 in 2021.

The trail begins with a letter from Lowry to Geoffrey Barnett, a bank manager, long-time friend and collector of Lowry art.

"Dear Mr Bennett," it says. "So, you have gone to Maryport! I’m very glad… you have gone to a wonderful place."

Children from local schools, who had been involved in a town-wide Lowry project, attended the opening, as did Gaynor Arrowsmith.

Mrs Arowsmith is the niece of the late Geoffrey Bennett.

Laurence Stephen Lowry, 1887 to 1976, was famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial areas of northwest England in the mid-20th century.

His distinctive style of painting featured urban landscapes with human figures, often referred to as 'matchstick men', which cast no shadows.

In 2021, local primary schools undertook a project on Lowry, funded by Maryport Town Council, in which the school children learned of Lowry’s upbringing and development as an artist, reviewing his pictures of Maryport and identifying their sites.

They then learned to draw in the style of Lowry and produced their own versions of Lowry’s Maryport pictures.

The children’s pictures have been used to produce a display at sites of importance to Lowry in the town: Christ Church, the Harbour, Market Step, Shipping Brow and the former Westminster Bank.

They have beautifully captured Lowry’s style in the artwork accompanying this trail. 

Contributors to the programme included local art aficionado and Settlement volunteer Dolly Money, Netherton Infant School head, Lynn Middleton, John McNamee, (who directed the school children’s work), Alan Roper, (who designed the trail information boards), and the children of Maryport's Schools whose Lowry-inspired pictures have been described as magnificent!

In a statement, the council said it continues to make improvements to the public realm, encouraging local people and visitors alike to recognise the rich history of the area.

"It is hoped that the trail will encourage local people and visitors alike to enjoy our children’s pictures reflecting LS Lowry for years to come!" they said.